Jupiter Falls, Venus Swims
by anti-viper
Summary: -A short fall off a tall Lighthouse- Sheba had been filled with apprehension the moment she stepped upon the tiles of Venus. Still, the last thing she had expected was to fall into the ocean, but at least Felix was kind enough to join her.


_Author's Note: Ah, and here we are. An infamous jump off an infamous Lighthouse. The most memorable scene in Golden Sun, one of the most memorable scenes in the series. Written so many times, so why am I writing it again? Simply put, I love this scene. It's famous, and I wanted to put my own spin on it. I think it is a huge character moment for both Sheba and Felix, friendship wise or relationship wise, depending on whether or not you think Lighthouse Shipping is a thing or not. What I tried to do was really take a small timeframe (that was a tall lighthouse, but I can't imagine they were in the air for more than ten seconds), and expand on all the rapid fire thoughts the characters must have been having. So, it's important to note I don't think they fell for a minute or two, but that I wanted to expand their thoughts within that small window of time._

_However, I do think that once Felix reached Sheba they would slow down a decent amount, and that is why the impact didn't end them. I mean, she already passed the fall from the sky test once, and that was years ago, so doing it again should be no trouble. In other news, this is the second fic in a row I've uploaded where I despised the title but couldn't think of anything better to name it! Hurrah! More of my ramblings after the break._

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><p>Jupiter Falls, Venus Swims<p>

It was one of those stretches of time that seemed to drag on incredibly slowly, the collection of second after Felix bravely and foolishly leapt off of Venus's Aerie. A lot of different thoughts were speeding through his mind at that particular moment. There were bits and pieces of images (a small, delicate hand slowly losing its grip on a crack in a great purple wall), of ideas (saving something just below him, falling through the air, lighting two lighthouses), of people (of Isaac, his normally serene expression shattered at the lives he had just ended and at Felix's vow to continue their quest, of Saturos and Menardi, smiling blissfully even as they, the strongest flames of Prox, fell headlong to their deaths, their once flawless armor and garbs charred, torn, and soaked with their own blood, of Sheba, her bright green eyes trembling in fear as her grip loosened, then hardening with grim realization before softening into… appreciation? Forgiveness? Understanding? Love?) and of feelings (terror, anger, regret, worry, determination, love).

None of those thoughts mattered in the slightest. His mind had long stopped functioning; he was fueled purely by adrenaline, and his body was in complete control of his actions. Which wasn't saying much, considering he was free falling through the air and had absolutely no way to slow himself down. Except for the ground… except the ground wasn't supposed to be blue. "The ocean," he whispered without thinking, his brief bit of speech swallowed by the gulping wind. If that was indeed the ocean, and he wasn't going insane, they had a chance.

The last thought that crossed his mind, as he picked up speed, splitting the air at such a velocity his wide open eyes were nearly bleeding tears, was that he was falling too fast, and about to slam into either the ground or the ocean. No, the thought that suddenly filled every single corridor, crack, and corner of his mind was that he needed to fall _faster._ That if he picked up a little more speed, he could reach the spec below him he now recognized as Sheba. He had to, before she crashed into whatever was beneath them. Regardless of whether or not it was ocean or land, she would surely not survive the impact.

No, he had to catch her, and get under her. He doubted he would survive, but his survival wasn't important, her's was. For a brief moment, his mind voiced a complaint that killing himself over a girl he had known less for less than a month and had more or less kidnapped was fairly reckless and insane.  
>Felix gritted his teeth, his eyes beginning to narrow as the wind ripped the moisture from them and his ponytail's knot came undone, setting his wild hair free. There was no doubt jumping off a Lighthouse was crazy, but at this point he didn't really have much of a choice but to see the choice through. And, if anything, Felix was reckless, even if this did kind of eclipse anything he had done prior. A slightly amused smile managed to find its way to his face, and only widened as the wind flew into his gum flaps; he must look ridiculous.<p>

In an instant, his mind snapped back to the situation at hand, and he began to plot out what he would do once they reached the point of impact. If it was the ground, he could hopefully manipulate it too drop upon their collision, softening the inevitable crash. He would die for sure, but just maybe she would survive, and be able to shoot up some lightning to call the attention of the Laliverans.

If it was the ocean… well damn it all if it was the ocean. At first thought, it had seemed like a miracle, but after taking a few milliseconds to think it over, he was feeling less lucky. Sure, the impact would be much less, but Felix's feelings for water had been anything but pleasant ever since the storm that had ripped his life apart.

Simply stepping in a shallow steam sent shivers down his spine, and if he stared at large bodies of water for too long he often received the wonderful experience of being reacquainted with whatever meal he had consumed prior.

Ignoring his hydrophobia, he had no idea whether or not he could actually swim. It hadn't been high on his list of skills to learn while he was living in Prox. The fact that everything had been frozen probably had something to do with that. Besides his lack of swimming experience, after they hit the water he had no idea how deep they would sink, or how long it would be till they resurfaced to breathe. That coupled with the fact that he could barely breathe now and that when they landed their breath would most likely be forced out of them made things even worse.

How he was supposed to swim when he hadn't learned to (maybe he could find a book on it in midair?), had hydrophobia, was holding a young girl in his arms, and was going to be debilitated physically and mentally from slamming into water at however-fast-they-were-going, was beyond him. He half wished, as his eyes confirmed they would be gracing the ocean with their frail bodies, that they were actually going to hit land. Yeah, he would have died, but at least it would have been simple.

Sheba had closed her eyes once her fingers had slipped, and had no real desire to open them. Somehow, the thought that she was near death did little to sadden her. In fact, she could not help but find small bits of irony in the situation: as she came into this world, she would leave it, by falling. It was more than that, though. It was an odd feeling to be had for someone so young in their last moments, but she felt content.

Her entire life, she had searched for meaning, for a purpose, for guidance. More than that, she had searched for someone who truly understood her. Truly, her foster parents loved her, but to them life (and her own) was Lalivero, and only Lalivero. As much as Sheba had despised being taken from her home and locked up in that tower, it had let her see part of the world, and she wanted to see the rest of it.

But it was more than that: they couldn't understand what it was like to live in a place where everyone considered you to be a goddess, to be something she simply wasn't. She was a lonely, small girl. Yes, the worshipping of the townsfolk had gone to her head in the past, but after getting kidnapped and not being rescued by divine intervention or her powers, she realized what she should have known all along: she wasn't a goddess, or a holy child. She was special in some ways, but in all honesty, what did it matter? None of the winds she could summon would serve to slow her down to the point that she would survive. Of course she was still trying, but it clearly wasn't going to be enough.

She held few regrets, but one weighed in her heart. Felix. She smiled, the cold wind feeling more like an embrace with every passing second. After searching for so many years for someone who understood her, she had found him in Felix. She had quickly bonded with the older Venus adept; when she was tired from their long marches, he would carry her on his shoulders.

It had been funny, the first time, as he had done it without any prior indication he was going to do so. She had been walking slowly, her feet calloused and sore, her breath short and harsh, then let out a tiny "Eeep!" as she had suddenly been lifted off of her feet and onto his back. While at the time she had been embarrassed and confused, now the memory brought warmth to her heart. Felix, so silent and stoic, had somehow been able to discern her thoughts without her saying a thing. And she thought she was the only one who knew how to read minds.

Sheba felt tears well to her eyes, and struggled to subdue them. She had to be strong, for Felix. It had only take a week after the first time he had carried her for them to bond even more. They would stay up late at night, discussing their pasts, presents, and future. At first glance, she had thought him imposing and possibly dangerous, but he was truly a kind soul, and she pitied him for his terrible situation. But he had shown her equally as much sympathy, promising her that he would not let any harm come to her, and that he would make sure she was returned to Lalivero safely.

And he had: at the top of that cursed Lighthouse, whose very stones seemed to drain her strength, he had been willing to fight the two fire demons that had captured her, knowing full well he could not defeat them. His normally calm face, painted with despair and disbelief came to her mind. She had seen it just moments prior, as she had hung weakly on Venus's walls. She wished she had hung on, more for his sake than hers. He, being the noble soul he was, would no doubt blame himself. She prayed that somehow he wouldn't, but she knew he would.

She cried for him, then, and cried that she could not get to know him better, perhaps travel the world with him, even scale Jupiter Lighthouse. But, he wouldn't want her to be miserable in her final second. So, understanding that her final moment on Weyard were at hand, she opened her eyes, her purple cape whipping in the wind above her, the blue sky smiling down upon her. She smiled; the sky being her last sight wasn't so bad. And yet, there was something in the middle of it. Something… falling? She squinted, and began to make out features of the object. A green cape, and dark brown… hair? She knew that hair, that cape! It was… "Felix!" She shouted in shock and confusion.

Meanwhile, Felix noticed they had cleared nearly half the distance to the ground. Dammit, he was going too slow, and Sheba was still far below him. He tried to straighten his body, but it did little. Suddenly, he closed his eyes, and prayed for the first time in two years, when he had been found crying that he needed to go back to Vale and to Jenna and had subsequently gone through a four hour training session to "beat the wimp out of him".

_Please, Venus, Jupiter, if anyone up there is listening,_ he thought. _Let me get there, at least give me a chance. Just a chance…_ He opened his eyes, feeling determination and power course through his body, whether from his own natural will or a blessing from the deities above. Each split second, to his amazement, brought Sheba closer and closer. He knew not if he was going faster, or if she was slowing down.

Yes! He could make out her blonde hair, normally so straight and kept, now sprawling in all directions in the strong wind. Her white tunic was flapping as well, and she was spread out unlike him, which was hindering her speed. And… yes! Felix should have expected it from her, as she was quite clever, she was using her Psynergy to slow herself down! He could see, barely, her lips move, and a split second later a shout of, "Felix!" rushed by him.

Her eyes were wide, no doubt in shock and amazement that he was falling with her. Felix narrowed his eyes, and the only thought found in his mind was that of _FASTER!_ He was nearly to her! Once there were mere feet between them, he stretched out his arm as far as he could.

"GRAB MY HAND!" He screamed, and even though he doubted she could hear him, she obliged, her frail arm piercing the space between them. For a moment, they drifted inches away from each other, then for another their fingertips danced across each other, before Felix lunged forward with every ounce of being in his body and grasped her hand. With strength constant training had brought him, he pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her small body. He looked into her vibrant green eyes; they were streaming with tears, yet somehow he didn't think they were from the wind.

He wanted to tell her what his plan was, but doubted she would be able to hear him. These worries were doused when her body began to glow for a brief moment, and her voice appeared in her mind. _"Felix! What on earth_ _happened? Did you fall off too?"_

He gulped. She would not be pleased by his answer. _"Less of a fall, more of a jump."_

Her eyes widened wide with realization, anger, and confusion. _"ARE YOU INSANE! YOU JUMPED OFF THE LIGHTHOUSE?" _Felix looked down; there was little space left between them and the ground, and her wind Psynergy was only slowing them down so much.

_"I probably am insane, but I couldn't let you die, Sheba. You were never supposed to be a part of this quest. There's so much more I want to say, but we're near impact. I'm sorry this had to happen; I'm going to shift so I take most of the force, and then once we surface I'll get us to shore."_

Her emerald eyes softened, and gripped his sides tightly with her arms before she said, _"You didn't have to do this Felix… but thank you." _Before he could stop himself, Felix kissed Sheba lightly on the forehead, and then embraced her tightly. This time, he was NOT letting her go. Then, he shifted his body so he was on the bottom, closing his eyes and sending another prayer. He was going to save her. No matter what.

The ocean had different feelings about that idea. Felix quickly realized, after his back slammed into the blue surface, that this would be the worst experience he would ever have with water. He couldn't remember what having breath felt like, or what his back had felt like before screaming in pain. But, even as every bit of his body screamed for him to lose consciousness, he refused to succumb to the pain of the impact, or worse, let her go.

She nearly squirted out from the force applied, but he just managed to hang on. Then, ignoring how weak he felt with no breath in his lungs, he tightly gripped her with one arm as she tried to grip him with both of hers, and began to use his other arm to send them upwards. It was a long, slow process, and he slowly felt his consciousness begin to wane and his muscles begin to tire. He opened his eyes to try to see how close they were to the surface. He quickly shut them due to the sting, and judging by the light he saw, they were close.

With one final burst he didn't know he had, he kicked upwards and they broke the surface, and Felix gulped in a gigantic huff of air. He spared a look at Sheba, and felt his heart freeze: her eyes were closed, and her face was pale. Most men would have panicked, unable to swim, weak, and holding a possibly dying girl in their arms. But there was a reason Felix had survived that infernal boulder. Even then he had possessed an extra sense, an extra tier of strength, determination, and quick thinking when he or someone close to him was in danger. It had been this sense that had told him to leap headlong off of Venus Lighthouse, and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure he hadn't done so in vein.

Thinking quickly, Felix undid his cloak, and wrapped it around Sheba, attaching her to his back. Then, he looked around him for land; judging by the looks of things, the sea had rose, meaning he might have to swim for a long time to get on solid ground. That was time he didn't have. He glanced around once more, this time in desperation, but something caught his eye. A few hundred feet away, was an… island?

Felix didn't stop for a moment to wonder where the hell the island had come from; he swam. He swam like a maniac. High above Weyard, the goddess Venus nudged her fellow goddess Mercury, saying, "Look at him rip through that water! My goodness, are you sure he's not one of yours?"

Felix didn't have time to breathe, he didn't have time to wince at the saltwater that stung his eyes, and he certainly didn't have time to stop swimming and rest his burning muscles. No, he simply swam, tearing through the water so fast he might have been running on land. After two minutes of non-stop movement, he reached the island. A brief part of his brain wondered why the hell Idjema was in the middle of the ocean and not connected to Gondowan.

This was quickly lost in a massive wave of SHEBA. He quickly untied Sheba and laid her on the sand, then, recalling his medical training in Prox, began administering CPR. Despite the direness of the situation, he could not help but blush as his hands scraped slightly against Sheba's small breasts.

He pushed, then again, then again, then again. He began to tire, but he would not stop. Slowly, she began to cough up water, but she was barely breathing, if at all, and her face was starting to turn blue. Felix gave on last push, before bringing his lips to hers, and blowing heavily. Underneath him, he felt her chest move, just slightly, and continued to pump his breath into her mouth for another ten seconds, before removing his lips and giving a hard push to her chest. Finally, to his relief, she began to spout out a large amount of sea water, and then breathe shallowly. He sighed, before continuing the cycle until her breathing was stable.

Felix, finally, gave her a few cures (as his Psynergy was still full), to alleviate her ribs from the pounding he had administered in order to get her to breathe. Indeed, he had broken at least a few of them: she would be sore, but at least she was alive. And finally, he could rest.

He collapsed next to her, finally realizing how extremely exhausted he was. He applied a few cures to himself as well, before pulling her close and once more into his arms. He allowed himself a small smile. She was safe, and he had kept his promise. _And hell_, he thought, as he drifted off to sleep. _I swim pretty damn good._

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><p><em>I'll be perfectly honest: this is under the context (in my opinion) that Lighthouse Shipping exists, and Sheba and Felix began to date at some point. That's how I see it, but if anyone thinks otherwise, let your imagination run free. I'm happy with how this came out. I wanted to strike a balance between detail and character thought, with character thought taking most of it. Ummmm. Yeah, not much more to say, unless I get into a whole mess of "my thoughts on a 14 year old girl dating a 18 year old boy", which is better saved for another fic I'm writing that actually addresses said issue directly. As always, reviews are welcome, thanks for reading!<em>


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